USA U19 opening batter Prannav Chettipalayam further cemented his position as the leading scorer in the 2023 ICC Americas U19 World Cup Qualifier with 137 off 104 balls in a massive win over Argentina. 

Photo credit: ICC/Peter Della Penna

By Peter Della Penna in King City, Ontario (Twitter @PeterDellaPenna)
 
USA U19 opening batter Prannav Chettipalayam continued his sublime form with a 73-ball century, eventually finishing with 137 off 104 balls including 10 fours and five sixes to top-score in USA’s innings of 364 before bowling out Argentina for 36 in a 328-run win on day five of the 2023 ICC Americas U19 World Cup Qualifier at Maple Leaf Cricket Club in King City, Ontario. It was Chettiapalayam’s fourth score of fifty or better in five innings at the tournament and helped move USA to 4-1 on the week. 
 
In the day’s other match at Toronto Cricket Skating & Curling Club, Canada bowled out Bermuda for 97 before chasing the target in 17.2 overs to win by six wickets. The hosts maintained an undefeated 5-0 record with the win. However, USA’s sizable margin of victories throughout their other matches means they hold a +1.182 net run rate advantage over Canada. It means that if Canada defeats USA again in their rematch on Friday at King City, Canada will finish as undefeated tournament champions. However, if USA defeats Canada, then both teams will finish with an equal 5-1 record in the tournament, but USA will end up as tournament champions with a superior net run rate and claim the Americas regional berth for the 2024 ICC Men’s U19 World Cup in Sri Lanka. 
 
“I know for almost all of us, it’s all we’ve been training for for the last six-seven years of our life,” said USA U19 captain Rishi Ramesh after the win over Argentina when asked about the possibility of going to the U19 World Cup with a win over Canada on Friday. “Obviously to play U19 and represent our country, but making the World Cup is a whole other level.”
 
Ramesh won the toss on Thursday against Argentina and chose to bat first at the toss. While USA sprinted to a double-digit run-rate in the Powerplay in the same match between these two sides at TCSCC earlier in the tournament, the pitch and outfield conditions at King City did not allow for the same, though USA continued to exert their dominance over Argentina through much of the first two hours of play. 
 
After a brief early hiccup when Bhavya Mehta was bowled by a full delivery from Felipe Das Neves in the third over for 3, Chettipalayam and Parth Patel teamed for a 166-run second-wicket partnership across the next 21 overs. Patel focused much of his energy on turning over the strike to Chettipalayam, who once again was menacing with his power-hitting in reaching a 40-ball half-century before needing just another 33 balls to reach three figures. He moved into the 90s with back-to-back pulled sixes over midwicket off Maximo Veliz just after drinks in the 19^th over before driving a six over long-off against spinner Theo Vreugdenhil in the 22^nd to bring up his landmark. 
 
Patel struck his third boundary in the 23^rd over to bring up his first half-century of the tournament off 56 balls and also scored one six in his innings before the partnership ended when he drove Vreugdenhil to Das Neves at long-off for 52. Chettipalayam, who had earlier been spilled on a sharp caught and bowled chance on 41, was then dropped three times in the next three overs, on 107 at long-on and then again on consecutive deliveries at slip on 119, before he was finally dislodged by left-arm spinner Felipe Pini upon the first ball of his introduction into the attack in the 32^nd over.
 
Pini’s spell was the biggest bright spot for Argentina on the week, ending with 5 for 60 in an unbroken 10 overs to the end of the innings. After getting Chettipalayam driving to long-off, he claimed Ramesh five balls later driving to cover sweeper for 1 to make it 254 for 4. Yet arguably Pini’s most memorable moment of the day came in the 35^th over fielding at short fine leg when he intercepted a pull from Utkarsh Srivastava with a one-handed diving effort to his right to remove the USA vice-captain for 48 off 31 balls to give Dimas Del Rio a wicket making the score 268 for 5. 
 
Khush Bhalala was Pini’s third victim of the day, driving at a wider ball and given out caught behind for 10. New ball bowler Das Neves returned to the attack for a second spell late in the innings and struck twice. Aryan Satheesh was bowled for a run a ball 16 driving at a fuller delivery before Aarin Nadkarni pulled softly to Veliz at midwicket four balls later for 1 to make it 316 for 8 in the 43^rd over. 
 
Pini then finished off the USA tail in his final two overs. Amogh Arepally’s pursuit of a half-century fell six runs short when he drove to long off to fall for 44 off 40 balls. Last man Arya Garg collected a series of twos in the 50^th over before a heave off the final ball resulted in him being bowled off the final ball of the innings for 12. Ateendra Subramanian ended unbeaten on 14. 
 
Aside from Pini’s figures, Das Neves ended with 3 for 59 in 8.4 overs but was unable to finish his quota after being removed from the attack following a second no ball over waist height. Del Rio claimed 1 for 75 in nine overs while Vreugdenhil took 1 for 43 in four overs. 
 
Argentina’s batting lineup provided stubborn defensive resistance for the next 90 minutes without threatening much from an attacking standpoint as USA’s bowlers plugged away trying to finish off the match. Nadkarni struck the first two blows for USA in the field, bowling Lucas Migliorelli and Tomas Torchiaro for 1 and 0 respectively to make it 5 for 2 in the fourth. 
 
Garg swooped in next with his left arm pace and fired in a pair of yorkers to bowl Vreugdenhil for 6 and trap Argentina captain Lucas Rossi lbw for a second-ball duck to make it 13 for 4 in the ninth. Das Neves was Garg’s third victim in the 13^th, cutting a length ball to Srivastava in the covers for 6. 
 
The spin duo of Bhalala and Satheesh then cleaned up the rest of the Argentina lineup. Pini dragged an attempted pull against Bhalala onto his stumps in the 14^th over for 3 before Owen Kirschbaum was bowled without playing a shot for a third-ball duck to wrap up a double-wicket maiden. Satheesh then entered the attack in the 15^th over and bowled 15 balls without conceding a run while taking three wickets to end the match. Egon Ferioli heaved a shot to Mehta at long-on to go for a fifth-ball duck before Julian Alvarez slapped a length ball to Bhalala at extra cover for a fifth-ball duck as well. Del Rio lasted eight balls before being bowled by a fuller delivery to end the match with Veliz stranded on 13 not out including all three of Argentina’s boundaries. 
 
In addition to Satheesh’s remarkable figures of 3 for 0, Garg ended with 3 for 8 in five overs. Nadkarni claimed 2 for 7 in five while Bhalala finished with 2 for 17 in four overs including a maiden.